He takes my hand and leads me back into the bedroom. He rummages through his dresser and pulls out a clean pair of boxers and a plain white t shirt. He pulls on his underwear and strides towards me. He pulls the t shirt over my head, the hem falling just below my ass. We crawl up the bed and under the covers. He wraps an arm around me as I snuggle against his chest, his fingers graze up and down my arm, gently.
“What are you doing to me, Hayley?” he asks, his lips buried in my hair, kissing the top of my head softly.
I snuggle closer to him, revelling in the feeling of his body next to mine.
We drift off to sleep, my head resting on his chest, our legs tangled together, my hand placed over his heart, right where I want to be.
Chapter 21
Kyle
“You and your girl have fun after you left last night?” my brother asks, wearing a mischievous grin as he slouches lazily on the sofa across from my desk.
“Uh-uh.” I shake my head. “We’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you and my girl’s best friend.”
He shrugs, his grin widens. “She’s cute, not to mention fucking incredible in bed. She does this thing where-”
“Yeah, yeah, asshole, don’t need to know,” I cringe, waving him off dismissively and he throws his head back in laughter.
There’s a light knock at my door as Cassie, my assistant drifts into my office, a stack of papers clutched in her arms.
“James just sent these through for you.” She places the papers in front of me on my desk.
“Thank you. Oh, Cassie, can you make copies of this file and send one to each member of the board, please?”
“Of course.” She offers me an all-to-eager smile.
I hand her the file and she takes it off me, her hand brushing mine ever so slightly. She lingers for a moment.
“That’s all, Cassie.”
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything else.” She slowly turns and drifts through my door, only to return a second later, poking her head around the door. “Kyle, there’s an Aaron Reynolds here to see you, shall I send him in?”
Aaron.
Hayley’s asshole friend from last night.
I cock an eyebrow to my brother, and he smirks.
“Yeah, send him in.” I lean back in my chair behind my desk and wait for him to come in.
Fuck, this should be good.
Aaron steps into my office and closes the door behind him.
“Aaron,” I greet. “Would you like to take a seat.”
“Nah, I’m good.”
“I’ll leave you two to it,” Luke announces, heading for the door, giving a polite nod towards Aaron as he passes, only to be met with distain.
Once we’re alone, I turn to him. “Alright. What can I do for you?”
He takes a deep breath. “I want you to stay away from Hayley.”
I choke back a laugh. “And why would I do that exactly?”
“Because she’s a good person, she’s one of my best friends and I care about her, a lot. She deserves better, certainly better than you.”
“Ouch.” I mock. “Deserves better, as in someone such as yourself?”
I catch him off guard. “What? All I mean is-”
“I know full well what you mean,” I cut him off. “I get it, must be hard being in love with your best friend knowing she’ll never be yours, watching from the side-lines as another man moves in.”
“You don’t know a goddamn thing about me.”
I know I’m being an asshole. What can I say? Assholes bring the asshole out in me.
His reaction last night told me everything I needed to know about him. He’s in love with her.
Who could blame him?
And it’s obvious Hayley has no idea about how he feels, otherwise he wouldn’t be playing the knight, threatening any suitor that shows interest in her.
He just keeps on pretending like friendship is enough for him when he knows deep down it’s not.
I almost feel sorry for him.
Scratch that, no I don’t.
“Oh, I think I do. When you work in the kind of business I do, you learn to read people, find out when they’re lying. Aaron, admit it, you’re in love with her, you just haven’t got the balls to do anything about it. I have no desire to leave her, so you better get used to it.”
“I’ll never give up on her. And when you hurt her, which you will, and she finally sees what kind of man you really are, I’ll be there, offering her a shoulder to cry on, among other things,” he warns.
My hands ball into fists, trying to keep my cool, I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how he’s affecting me.
I won’t pretend that the thought of him with her doesn’t piss me off, because it does.
“Well, I’ll have to make sure that never happens.” I smirk. “Either way, Hayley will never be yours, but feel free to keep dreaming. Well, if that’s all Aaron…” I lean forward and begin shuffling the stacks of papers on my desk in front of me.
He walks forward and rests his palms flat on my desk opposite me, staring down at me, as if he can intimidate me.
“If you hurt her, I will ruin you,” he threatens.
I glance up at him. “Duly noted.”
This prick doesn’t scare me.
Who the hell does he think he is coming into my office making empty threats?
He turns and stalks out of my office, slamming the door for good measure.
I laugh under my breath, shaking my head in disbelief.
What a dick.
Chapter 22
Hayley
Every evening for the past two weeks, Kyle would be waiting to pick me up after my shift at the diner, he’d turn up half an hour before my shift is due to end just to sit and watch me work, ordering the same large black coffee with two sugars every time.
The feeling I have when I lay my eyes on him sitting at a table in
